Author of five novels including "The Corrections," which won the National Book Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and "Freedom," Jonathan Franzen begins the tour for his new novel "Purity" with a reading and discussion at a Bookshop Santa Cruz-sponsored off-site event. Franzen is also an essayist and frequent contributor to "The […]

In a special redux of last year's popular, open-form gathering at Lake Merritt's Ampitheater (which happened as a sort of impromptu nightcap to the Beast Crawl Literary Festival), Vernon Keeve III has invited The Association of Black and Brown Writers to take over this full moon reading. It includes Rohan DaCosta, Jezebel Delilah X, Jesse […]

Natural storyteller and lifelong traveler Phil Cousineau discusses his latest collection of travel essays, "The Book of Roads: Travel Stories from Michigan to Marrakech." Cousineau is the author of the bestselling "The Art of Pilgrimage" and many other books, including "Soul: An Archaeology, Readings from Socrates to Ray Charles." He also hosts the TV show […]

Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Orphan Master's Son" Adam Johnson reads from and discusses his second collection of stories, "Fortune Smiles," which contains "Nirvana," winner of the Sunday Times short story prize, and "Hurricanes Anonymous," included in the Best American Short Stories. Johnson is in conversation with "Zyzzyva" managing editor Oscar Villalon. $40 includes the […]

David Shields reads from and discusses "That Thing You Do With Your Mouth" (McSweeney's), an extended monologue he prompted and composed from conversations with his cousin-once-removed, actress and voice-over artist Samantha Matthews, investigating, in vivid detail, her sexual history. In conversation with Sarah Manguso ("Ongoingness: The End of a Diary").

William T. Vollmann is the author of nine novels, four story collections, six works of nonfiction and a memoir. He won the National Book Award for "Europe Central" and the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Vollmann reads from and discusses his novel "The Dying Grass," the latest in his […]

Nomadic Press has made a splash in its cozy Fruitvale storefront over the last few months by pairing an author with a musical guest, usually on a Friday evening. This rendition features a first-of-its-kind collaboration between haiku pros Andrew O. Dugas and Amos White, who share their respective work and present a special feature created […]

The monthly competitive erotic fanfiction series, which recently expanded to New York, has been a hit since it debuted a couple of years ago. Its quest is to "destroy six notable characters from one Great Book." This month the book of choice is Peter Benchley's "Jaws." Baruch Porras-Hernandez reads appropriations by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Alan […]

Josh Mohr reads from and discusses his fifth and latest novel, "All This Life," which begins with a marching band calmly jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge one by one during morning rush hour, and the child who records it on video and then uploads it onto the Internet. Real and virtual/imagined life are examined […]

Poetry Flash presents readings by contributors to "Corners of the Mouth: A Celebration of Thirty Years at the Annual San Luis Obispo Poetry Festival," including, among others, Sharon Doubiago, Paul Fericano, Sandra M. Gilbert and Valentino Gnup, hosted by the anthology's editors, Kevin Patrick Sullivan and Patti Sullivan. The festival was founded in 1984.